Two Zanes, Two Sides
by toothlessturtle21
Summary: During a closet clean-out, Zane falls through a multi-dimension portal. A Zane from a different dimension falls into this realm, and they seem to have very different views on how to "protect" Ninjago. Will the portal be fixed, or will everyone's favorite Nindroid be stuck in the place of an evil dictator forever?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! I'm coming at you with a short story. This was originally a one shot, but it got too interesting for me to stop it there. Don't expect too much. Enjoy!**

* * *

Kai almost dropped a hammer on his foot. The ninja were helping Sensei clean out his closet, and he kept some truly weird stuff in there. A crystal ball would be a good example. Or an ominous black notebook with names scribbled inside. That was weird too.

"Sensei?" Zane called out from the other side. "I found a rather large mirror. Where do you want it?"

Sensei looked towards his student, pondering this, and directed him towards a corner of the room. Zane nodded, and hoisted the object onto his shoulder. He set it down, and admired the design of the mirror. Intricate designs wound about the edges, and the glass itself shone like a crystal.

"Look out!" Lloyd called as he bumped into Zane, which made the startled Nindroid loose his balance.

"Wait! Zane!" Sensei ran to his student as he fell through the mirror.

"What just happened?" Cole stood next to the bewildered pair, and the others soon followed.

"Zane just fell through a mirror." Jay couldn't help but chuckle.

"This is not good." Sensei mumbled. Just as Lloyd was about to ask why, the mirror started to glow.

From the mirror, Zane shot out again. But it didn't look like Zane the ninja knew. He was dressed in all black and light blue, and the Mega Weapon was grasped in his hands.

"What? What just-" The other Zane looked around. "How the hell- how are you alive?" He stared at Lloyd.

"Me? Of course I'm alive. And did you just swear?" Lloyd gazed in confusion at the character, who stood and brushed himself off.

"Where am I? This isn't a meeting." He scanned over the remaining ninja.

"So... you're not Zane." Jay sighed.

"Of course I am, you idiot." The imposter Zane leaned back against a wall. "But it sounds like I'm not the Zane you know."

"No, you're not." Jay frowned, slightly insulted by being called stupid.

"Well, you aren't the bumbling morons I'm familiar with, either. I suppose your Zane isn't the supreme ruler of Ninjago?" He grinned.

"What!" The ninja shrieked. In a different dimension, their Zane was having similar troubles.

* * *

"Where am I?" Zane stared in shock at the scene in front of him. A long table of Ninjago's top leaders... in chains?

"The board meeting, sir." A man next to him mumbled.

"Um, the meeting is... cancelled." Zane stammered, and ran out the doors behind him. People in the halls flinched away from him.

"Something wrong, Lord Zane?" One person squeaked out, and something clicked in Zane's head.

 _A portal. That's what that mirror was. That means whoever runs this place... is in my Ninjago._

"No, everything's fine, thank you." Zane stood up a bit taller, and tried to act as regal as he could. If no one stopped him, maybe he could find his way home.

As he paced the halls, he decorations on the walls began to scare him a little. Banners and art depicted a black-clad version of himself stabbing Lloyd, standing over people in shackles, sitting on a crystal throne, and many other disturbing scenes.

He realized how little trouble he had wandering the palace. Before he knew it, library doors stood in front of him. His first objective was to learn how the heck he became overlord of Ninjago.

He located a book with a promising title. _Ninjago's Dictatorship: How our Immortal Leader Came to Power_

Zane's stomach dropped, but he began to read the book that detailed how he enslaved Ninjago.

* * *

"You... you rule over Ninjago?" Lloyd gawked.

"Oh. Your Zane doesn't. That's a shame, he's wasting his potential." Imposter Zane shook his head.

"Of course he doesn't! That's horrible!" Jay exclaimed.

"Not really. It's quite easy, really. Kill the chosen one, obtain the Mega Weapon, and enslave the people. Really not hard for a robot." He winked at Lloyd, who gulped. Hopefully he didn't meet the same fate as his counterpart.

"First of all, that's awful. Second of all, Zane is now an overlord!?" Cole said.

"Yup. He's probably tarnishing my title as we speak." The other Zane grimaced. "Or, if he's smart like me, he's trying to find out a way to get home." He tapped the mirror, which was now as solid as any normal glass.

"So, how exactly did you kill me?" Lloyd laughed nervously.

"Simple. But I'll leave that to your Zane, in case he changes his mind about the whole hero thing." He chuckled.

"Heh... I just remembered, I have a party to go to... bye." Lloyd dashed out of the room, presumably to go and hide in his bed.

"Weak." The Nindroid grumbled. At least the other Zane must be having fun, right?

* * *

Zane was not having fun. After reading a rather detailed description of Lloyd's murder, he shut the book gently and placed it on a table next to him.

"Dinner, my lord?" A voice from behind Zane made him jump. A servant behind him held a platter of assorted foods. Zane was about to decline, but felt his energy running low.

"Yes, thank you." Zane nodded, and was handed the plate.

He had never really had good cooking that wasn't his, since Jay was the closest thing to his skill, and even then, the inventor could only create mediocre dishes. He noted the sun setting outside, and after his delicious meal was eaten, decided to call it a night.

He wandered the halls until he found a rather grand door, and followed a gut feeling saying that this was his bedroom. At the very least, you could call it an upgrade. A balcony, a king size bed, and a master bathroom were only a few of the luxuries.

He opened the closet to find all black robes. The dresser? All black pajamas. Although it felt weird dressing more like Cole than anything, he slipped into his plush bed, and sank into the mattress. After hours of tossing and turning, Zane gave up. As comfortable as the bed was, he couldn't sleep.

"Forget it." Zane mumbled, and stepped out glass doors onto the balcony. Silk banners hung from the sides, decorated with ice and shurikens.

To his horror, the feeling of being in control didn't feel strange. It felt... right. He leaned against the railing, and gazed upon the usually bright city. The buildings were dark, and the stars truly shone through without the light blocking them.

A soft flutter beside him startled him. Zane couldn't help but smile when he saw the Falcon perched on the railing.

"Hello, my friend." Zane reached out and stroked the bird's head. He chirped, and climbed onto Zane's shoulder. It was nice to see somethings never change.

"I'll figure this out. I don't know how, but I'll return to my brothers." Zane promised himself. He needed to escape this place, even with it's luxuries. he turned and walked back inside, the Falcon in tow.

Although Zane didn't noticed, a blue-clad figure scaled the railing as he shut the doors. Jay, with a flash drive in tow, planted his feet on the banister.

He pressed a button on an earpiece, which crackled to life.

"I've got the dirty traitor in sight. It's go time."


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to everyone who's favorited, reviewed, or just liked the first chapter! If you don't like it, then I don't know why you're here. Anyway, enjoy the latest installment! (With a not-so-subtle UnderTale reference *wink*)**

* * *

Jay quietly snuck into the room. How long had he waited for this? Ever since that monster murdered Lloyd, that's how long. They still had his old white uniform. No one had wanted to admit that the Zane they knew would never come home.

Zane's senses perked up as he felt an eerie feeling grow in his gut.

"Who's there?" The Nindroid turned around to face an open balcony door. Hadn't he just shut that? The wind whistled as he crept over to shut the glass door.

From his hiding spot, Jay was just as nervous. He was now facing an evil overlord with no intention on letting him live if he was caught. As soon as the black-clad figure was in his sight, he pounced, knocking Zane to the floor.

"Jay? What-" He never got to finish his sentence before Jay clamped a hand over his mouth. Zane struggled to get up, but jay's knees pinned Zane's upper body to the ground. It was then Zane noticed Jay's poor condition. His uniform was dirty, his hair was all knotted, and he had a scar down the side of his neck.

"Night, night, traitor." Jay took out a weapon and struck the hilt against Zane's head, knocking out the frightened Ice Ninja easily. Jay sighed, and relaxed. He had been warned that Zane would've put up more of a fight, been a bit meaner with his words. But none of that mattered now.

Jay dragged Zane's body out onto the Balcony, where Kai was waiting for him.

"Wow. That was fast." The Fire Ninja smirked.

"Yeah. I'd say we have about an hour until Mr. Evil Overlord wakes up." Jay glanced down at the unconscious body.

"Then we'd better move fast." Kai nodded, and hoisted Zane on his shoulders.

"Then let's go." Jay nodded, and leaped off the balcony. As he fell, he looked up and saw Kai above him, holding a very dead-to-the-world Nindroid.

He had forgotten how good it felt to free fall. Everything seemed to lift away as he plummeted towards the pavement. The mission, the years spent living in exile, the pain, everything seemed to melt away.

He shrugged, and summoned a lighting dragon. He caught Kai, and quickly flew off towards the makeshift base, Zane in tow.

* * *

"What should we do with him?" Kai glanced over to the other Zane, who was flicking through channels on the game TV, much to Jay's annoyance.

"I don't know. We still have to figure out how to get our Zane back." Cole mumbled. It was Zane's night to cook, and nobody trusted the imposter Zane with anything sharp.

"I know, I know. But I'm kind of worried for Lloyd's life." Kai couldn't help but feel bad for the teen, who couldn't even stand in the same room without getting nervous.

"You know, we've been surprisingly calm, considering the fact that we're in the presence of a murderer, a tyrant, and a traitor all in one." Cole chuckled.

"Yeah." Kai said. This Zane didn't seem to have any intent of screwing with this realm. Yet, anyway. "I guess we'll have to wait and see."

"I guess so." Cole replied. Tonight was going to be a long one.

* * *

Zane's eyes opened slowly. A sharp pain consumed half of his head, making it very hard to keep his eyes from shutting.

"It's about time, you dirty brother killer."

A voice that sounded like Cole's came from somewhere nearby. Except, this Cole didn't sound as sure of himself as the one he knew did.

Zane tried to stand to explain himself, but he found he was tied up in a chair, unable to move.

"Let me explain myself. I-" Zane hurriedly began.

"Shut up. I don't want to hear any trickery from you." Kai growled.

Zane clamped shut immediately, noting the very sharp katanas they were holding.

"Release Ninjago, and you get your life. You'll be chained up, but you'll live. If you refuse? You're tied up in a chair, and we're holding swords. Your call." Cole ran the edge of his sword lightly against Zane's shoulder, and fake blood stained his black pajamas.

"No! You have to listen to me. I'm not the Zane you remember." The distressed Ice Ninja pleaded with his captors, who didn't look to be up for negotiation.

The group thought about this for a second.

"Yeah, you're right." Jay spoke. "The Zane we remember cared for us. The Zane we knew would fight beside us. For us, even. Any chance you had a redemption was broken when you killed our brother. Good luck talking your way out of this one, you piece of shit."

Jay stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

"He didn't used to be like that. You did this to him. You did this to us." Kai hissed, and followed suite. Cole exited after, giving Zane one last glance before shutting the door.

"This is not looking good." Zane mumbled. It had only been a day, but he wanted to return to his Ninjago more than ever.

* * *

"I can't sleep." Lloyd whispered to Kai's annoyed face.

"I get that. What do you want me to do about it?" Kai grumbled, ready to smack Lloyd with a pillow. He had been shaken awake for this?

"I dunno. Just thought I'd tell you." Lloyd grinned, and dashed out of Kai's room. If he hadn't been half asleep, he would've beaten that boy with a pillow so bad he would've been seeing them in his nightmares.

"Stupid.. kid..." kai grunted, and waited to fall back asleep. Revenge would have to wait.


	3. Chapter 3

Zane heard faint noises coming from outside. He wanted so badly just to break free and explain what was going on, but the ropes around him refused to release him.

The door creaked open, and a rather nervous looking Cole entered, shutting the door behind him.

"May I explain my predicament now?" Zane asked cautiously, and the other Cole looked unsure. He was definitely more nervous by himself than in a large group like before.

"They asked me to get an answer from you, but sure, go ahead, I guess. I've got nothing better to do" He mumbled.

"I am from a different world, so to speak. I fell through a portal and swapped places with the Zane that rules this dimension, and I am from a timeline where Lloyd never dies." Zane realized that to anyone who didn't witness it, that sounded incredibly strange.

"Woah, if you're not lying, which you very well could be, Lloyd's alive?" Cole suddenly perked at the possibility.

"Only in my dimension, I suppose." Zane answered.

"Oh, I guess we'll never get our Lloyd back then, huh?" Cole's shoulders drooped, and he walked closer to Zane.

"Please, you have to believe me." Zane pleaded.

The Earth Ninja studied the Nindroid for a few moments.

"To be honest, you have been nicer than I've expected. It's like the final battle never happened." Cole darkly chuckled, and slipped out of the room for a second. A few muffled sentences later, Kai burst through the door with him, scowling at Zane.

"So, you're not from here?" Kai rolled his eyes. "Likely story." His hands seemed to glow with anger, and the glow soon erupted into fire, flames winding around his fingertips.

"Kai." Cole tugged on the Fire Ninja's shirt. "I believe him."

"Why?" Kai growled, and turned to the Earth Ninja, who gulped.

"You know how Zane always looks like he's about to tear you apart? Well, I don't get the same vibe from this guy. He seems like he would take you out for a picnic or something." Cole stammered.

Kai looked back and forth between Cole and Zane, inspecting both the tense Nindroid and Cole, who nervously played with his scythe.

"Alright." Kai grabbed the ropes around Zane's left hand, and they crumbled away, black smoke rising. Once Zane was free, he stood and smiled.

"Hey Jay? Nya?" Kai called.

"What?" Nya's muffled voice was a new sound to the Ice Ninja.

"We may have kidnapped the wrong Zane."

"What?" Nya burst through the door. "What do you mean, wrong Zane?" She stormed up to the started Nindroid and grabbed the front of his black pajamas.

"This certainly looks like the right traitor." She hissed, and slammed him into the back wall. Zane managed to pry her off of him, and rubbed his head.

"I can assure you I would never hurt any of my brothers." Zane winced.

The room fell silent.

"Brothers. I haven't heard that word from you in so long."

Everyone turned to face Jay, who had just entered. A smile was threatening to poke through his hardened countenance.

"I'm sorry it had to be that way." Zane said glumly. "I can't imagine why I would do such a thing."

"Neither can we." Jay approached the Nindroid, shakily lifting a hand. His fingers fell over his power source.

"What are you-"

"Shh. I'm listening."

No one spoke. Jay, for the first time since Jay had seen him, smiled.

"You hurt yourself during the final battle. I had to fix your power source, and it always made a little ticking noise. I couldn't figure out why. But yours is silent." He chuckled. "Welcome home, Frosty."

Before Zane could respond, the team had thrown themselves around the Nindroid, and were all hugging the life out of him. A few minutes later, Jay was literally pulling Zane around their home.

"This is my room. That's Cole's. That's Kai and Nya's. And that's-" Jay suddenly cut himself off.

"Who's?"

"That's yours. I don't know why we kept it. You gi is still in it, if you want to change." Jay gave Zane a gentle push towards his room before locking himself in his own.

Zane decided to take a look around. His old uniforms were dusty, his books were untouched, and his bed was neatly made, just as he always left it. Nobody had disturbed his room in his absence.

"No, these are not my brothers. This isn't my home." Zane shook his head. As much as it would hurt him to leave these people with their Zane, he had his own friends to protect.

"Dinner's ready!" Kai called, interrupting Zane's thoughts.

In the dining room, Kai was proudly presenting the team with grilled chicken and rice, and everyone murmured their approval.

"To the return of someone who should've been with us all along." Cole smiled and looked at Zane. The rest of the table cheered and laughed. Zane was really home with them once more.


	4. Chapter 4

"Ok, listen up." Jay announced, false confidence hiding that fact that other Zane terrified him.

The Nindroid paused the horror movie he was watching, and glanced up, annoyed, at the Lightning Ninja.

"What do you want?" He grumbled.

"Well, we just kinda figured, that since, you know, you're a criminal, that we should-" He stammered.

"Stop." Zane interrupted. "I can assure you, I have no intention of hurting this world. Your Zane will figure out where the other portal is eventually, and the everything will be back to normal. I can continue ruling my dimension, and he can do whatever he's wasting his potential on now." He tapped his Megaweapon, sending a very clear unspoken message to the Lightning Ninja.

 _Put one foot out of line and I'll blast this sorry excuse for a ship right out of the sky._

"Right." Jay squeaked, and backed out of the room, meeting the others outside.

"So?" Kai asked, already knowing the answer by Jay's expression.

"No..." Jay sighed, and was met with disappointed faces.

"Well that's just great." Cole pushed Jay aside, slamming open the door.

Zane, having unpaused his movie, glanced up at the Earth Ninja, rather annoyed.

"Do you mind? The plot is starting become more exciting." Zane stopped his program once more.

"Listen up. You may be able to push around Jay, but I won't be so easily moved. You're marching your butt outside and... and..."

Cole trailed off as Zane held the Megaweapon, and the staff started to glow faintly.

"Do you want to finish that sentence? Because I have been holding back out of mercy for this pathetic side of the portal. So if you really feel that way, I can show you what you would look like as a lifeless corpse. " Zane glared through the Earth Ninja, pointing the weapon straight at his heart.

"Hey. _Chill_ out, dude. No need to be so _cold._ " Jay chuckled from behind, and Zane smirked, raised his hand, and encased the Lightning Ninja's mouth in ice, turning his laughs into muffled cries.

"Any more jokes?" The Ice Master inquired, scanning the team. "No? Good." He relaxed once more, and screams could be heard from the movie as he resumed his fun.

Cole quietly shut the door behind him, and ushered the team into the control room.

"Kai, if you could unfreeze Jay's mouth, that would be appreciated." Cole noticed the Lightning Ninja was shivering.

"Right." The Fire Ninja placed a hand on the ice, and within a few seconds, the ice began to melt off of Jay's face.

"We need a plan of attack. Not literally, as Jay demonstrated." Cole cast a glance at Jay, who huffed.

"So what're you thinking?" Kai shrugged.

"Listen up." Cole motioned the team in for a huddle, and they began to scheme against the tyrant in their gaming room.

* * *

"It's been so long since I've seen your ice powers not killing someone." Jay nervously chuckled as Zane froze a dummy in the center.

"Really? I've never used my powers for destruction. Or, at least I try not to." Zane recalled times when he would freeze his team by accident during training.

"Your dimension is so lucky." Jay sighed, and tried to imagine a time line where Zane didn't turn on them. Where he never tortured people by freezing their blood until they either submitted or died. Where he still woke them up in the morning to the smell of pancakes and bacon. But their Zane didn't choose that path.

"Jay? Are you alright?" Zane put a hand on his back.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just... I feel a bit bad. You shouldn't be here." Jay admitted.

"My brothers will be fine without me for a bit while I locate this dimension's portal." Zane reassured him.

Just as Jay was about to give a response, there was a rumbling through the ground.

"Oh no." Jay mumbled. He knew this sound all too well.

The door burst down, and a few robot guards stormed their way in.

"There!" One of them shouted, and pointed to Zane.

"Sir, we're deeply sorry it took so long to find you." The seemingly leader of the group bowed, and glared at Jay.

"I-" Zane began.

"We know, you want to torture him yourself. We know the drill." He nodded, and raised the hilt of his sword.

Before Jay or Zane could protest, Jay crumpled to the floor, and the robot grabbed a shocked Zane's arm.

"We'll take you home, sir, just come with us." He started running with Zane.

"But..." Zane trailed off, not knowing what to say.

After a short run, they arrived at a Hovership, which was decorated with black and bright blue embellishments. His ice symbol decorated the sides.

"It'll be about a one hour flight home." He explained, and led Zane on the ship, a few others carrying an unconscious Jay behind him.

"Greetings, sir." The bots on the ship bowed as he entered, and he awkwardly stood there, not knowing how to react.

Maybe this was how he kept order, and why there no where no signs of rebellion. He had an army at his beckon call, ready to kill for him. Ready to die for him.

"I'm going to get some rest." Zane said to no one in particular, and the group nodded.

"We'll be leaving shortly, Captain."

Zane shuffled his way to a door, and rested his hand on the scanner, which chirped an ok, and he was let in.

It was when he entered the next room did he realize what being brought back to the capital meant.

Bound to the walls, chained by the wrists and gagged, were the rest of the team. And they all had the same look of pure hatred in their eyes. The robot army he commanded may celebrate him, but the people he promised to protect wanted him dead.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! Warning, this chapter does get a bit... deadly. Hey, what can I say, I'm a mean author.**

* * *

Zane sat, dressed in black one more, on his bed. Rather, the other Zane's bed.

He just needed to find that portal, and everything would be ok. Right? No, he couldn't. Everyone was in the dungeon, and his alter ego wouldn't be so nice, from what he had heard. Having your blood frozen didn't seem like the nicest way to go.

Act like an Overlord. That was the only rule to his plan.

Act cruel, merciless, and unfeeling. But that's not who he was.

He should be dressed in white, watching cartoons and eating dinner with his family back in Ninjago.

"Sir? Dinner." A voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Yes, do come in." Zane recognized the voice. The Robot General, the same one that had knocked Jay out with a flick of his wrist. Zane had later learned by observation that his name was Victory. An odd name for the circumstance.

He cautiously opened the door, a plate of pork and rice balanced in his hands.

He set the food down next to Zane without a word, and slunk out of the room. The uniform for the army was relatively simple. Black armor with a light blue ice symbol, and silver embellishments.

After he was sure he had been left alone, he checked his calendar for the upcoming days.

Oddly enough, there was not much to do. A few conferences here and there, but nothing big.

That meant more time to look for the portal.

Zane, after eating a quiet dinner by his lonesome, stepped out to explore the palace once more.

He passed by a multitude of servants, plus a number of robot guards. The humans cowered, while the machines bowed and nodded towards passed by without much emotion, with the occasional acknowledgement of a guard with the tilt of his head.

Once again, he found himself standing in the library.

"Maybe this is where I'm meant to be." Zane mused, and began to search the aisles. Novels and history books lined the shelves, reminding him of the actions of his other self. What he had to mimic.

He shuddered at the thought of having to do what the other Ice Master had done, even though he sadly knew he would have to eventually.

"Sir?" A guard called through the library.

"Yes?" Zane answered, a tad startled.

"It's been a day since the prisoners have arrived. Not to question your motives, but usually you've done something by now."

"Oh, yes. That was the next item on my agenda. I will attend to it now." Zane shook his head as he retraced his steps.

He followed the guard down to the dungeon, his black cape trailing behind him. The Falcon flew in through the window, and Zane held out his arm for a perch, grateful for some familiar company.

All too soon, a heavy metal door signified the chamber entrance. The robot opened the door, and bowed as Zane nervously stepped inside. He retained a cold stare as his other teammates glared up at him. The only difference from earlier was that they had all been freed from their gags, and were bound around the wrists only.

"Look who decided to show up." Kai growled, and a guard went to strike him.

"Stop." Zane commanded, his voice echoing through the chambers. the Ice Ninja hoped the fear in his head didn't bleed through in his voice. The robot immediately retracted his hand, looking at Zane apologetically.

"You will not speak to me in that way." Zane said in a low voice, almost a whisper. "For the sake of your pathetic life, I hope you learn to understand that."

Kai shut up, but his glare spoke a thousand words that got his point across.

"Anyone else care for a conversation?" Zane clasped his hands behind his back to mask the fact that they trembled the slightest.

"If you won't let them hurt me, then I'd like to talk." Jay mumbled meekly to side of Kai, and Zane nodded. This was going to be hard.

"I agree to your terms."

"Well, if I can ask you a question, what made you decide to abandon us?" Jay cocked his head.

Zane stood silently, mulling over his possible answers. The Falcon fluttered a bit, feeling encased by the small walls of the dungeon. The walls were faded gray, and some spots even had red stains smearing the stone. Rusted chains hung, having not been used a while, over on the opposing wall.

"Why?" Jay repeated.

"I will not reveal my motives, but I can say this. Being held back by your so called 'team' meant nothing but restraint. You see what I can do when I am not held captive by laws and rules. I can create an empire, a kingdom, so to speak. I am not restricted by what I am told I can and cannot do. That is one of the many reasons." Zane had to dig his nails into his skin to silence the part of him that wanted to abandon the plan and free his friends.

"If you're going to kill us, at least I can die knowing a bit more than when I came in." Jay laughed bitterly, and looked expectantly up at Zane.

He realized the sickening choice at hand. Risk not murdering one of the ninja, and accept the possibility of his cover being blown, or freeze one of them, so they die a slow and painful death.

How far was he willing to go to return to his world?

Zane closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and extended a hand towards Kai, ice beginning to form around his fingertips.

In years to come, Zane would hear Kai's screams in his nightmares.

The sight of bloodied ice protruding from Kai's skin would be seared into his eyes for days to follow.

He could hear Nya's sobbing, muffled by her digging her face into her knees and wrapping her arms over her ears.

He could feel the life drain from the Fire Ninja's body as the ice worked its way to his heart.

Kai's last words would echo in his brain forever.

"You're a monster." Kai croaked out, his throat hoarse from screaming.

Zane looked into his eyes, and murmured a reply.

"I know."

Zane stood as Kai's body hung limp, blood icicles formed, covering his skin in a cold layer.

Tears dripping down Jay's face, he looked straight at Zane's face.

"I trusted you."

And those were the cruelest words of all.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! Sorry I haven't updated in so long! I've been super busy. Hope you all enjoyed that last murderous chapter, because there's more suffering in store for the poor Ninja of Ice coming up. Enjoy the chap!**

* * *

And thus began one of the worst times of the Ice Ninja's life.

As he sat in his room, isolated from everything, he barely moved. Paralyzed, he could only twist his thoughts, and they molded and shifted to whatever he was feeling. It was mostly guilt, the type that swallowed you whole, the one that left you unable to do anything.

He had already ripped several sheets from his fingers tearing them apart at the seams. They sat, shredded, in a corner of his room.

Even if he did find the portal, what would he do? Leave and pretend nothing happened, or would he never be able to look Kai in the eyes ever again?

These were the questions that left him immobile on his bed.

Soon, as he was presented with more horrible choices, the guilt he felt lessened. New prisoners were brought in, ones he was told had tone horrible crimes. Murder, burglary, that sort of stuff. Half of them met a very cold and violent end, with the other prisoners watching in fear as Zane simply brushed the excess blood off on his robes. The guard followed him without question. Uprisings were squashed like bugs stuck in honey. All the while, he was loosing track of his original goal. Coming home to his friends safe and sound.

One night, he had just stepped out of the shower, and had slipped his black pajamas over his pale skin, when he took a moment and looked at himself in the mirror. Despite everything he had done in the past few weeks, it was still him. The Ice Ninja who fought alongside his friends, who would make warm soup on an especially chilly night, who would watch movies with his friends with thunder rattling the windows. Had he given that up?

This wasn't right. He should feel... something. But he didn't, and he hated himself for it. He felt as if he had snapped out of a trance. How many people had died at the hand of his icy touch?

Tonight, he would find the portal, and get home. He would probably hate himself forever, but he would be home. And as for whatever Zane was ruling this dimension? He could go back to doing whatever he wanted, as long as he never bothered Zane's home again.

Maybe he would have to be a bit sly to find the portal. Or maybe all he had to do was ask. He doubted any of the staff had any guts to question his motives. But would he even say? Hey, have you seen a magical portal to another dimension lying around?

Zane shook his head. How did he know it was even in the palace?

"That's it," Zane sighed. "It's back in Sensei's closet."

Zane realized with a heavy heart he would need to return to there and face the memories of the short while he spent in the custody of his other team. He crawled into bed, the warm sheets doing nothing to help how cold he felt. But all of this will be worth it, he promised himself, with no part of him believing that it would be true.

* * *

"Maybe I could get contact with him if I use this." Sensei held out a strange medallion towards the few with him. These people were Cole and Kai, who were curious as to what Sensei had to show them.

"Is that another bus token?" Cole groaned.

"This is no bus token. This is a Dream Visitor," Sensei explained.

"So how's it work?" Cole eyed the strange coin.

"If you and the person you wish to speak with are asleep at the same time, you may visit them in their dream," He handed the medallion to Kai, who looked at him questioningly.

"Me? You want me to talk him?" The Fire Ninja raised an eyebrow.

"Is there an issue with that, Kai?" Sensei asked.

"No, I just thought you'd choose somebody, I don't know, closer to him? Like Jay or something. This is pretty darn important," Kai shrugged.

"Jay's working to see if he can fix the portal," Cole pat Kai on the back, who sighed.

"Ok, but I can't guarantee I'll be able to fall asleep," Kai chuckled, and left the room to retire to his bed.

Once in bed, he fell asleep fairly fast, in spite of what he had thought. He fell asleep with Zane's name rolling over in his mind, and he soon opened his eyes to a white, hazy place.

"Did I do it?" Kai inspected the milky sky.

"Kai?" The Fire Ninja heard a voice from behind him. He whipped around to see Zane staring in shock.

"Zane! Your fashion sense seems to have changed," Kai looked over Zane's black garments.

"How... how are you alive?" Zane reached forward and felt Kai's gi. "This doesn't feel like a dream."

"It is one. But I'm actually here. And what do you mean by 'how am I alive'?" Kai questioned.

"Not important," Zane realized that mentioning it was a mistake.

Kai noticed that Zane had a hard time holding eye contact with him.

"How did I die?" Kai took a step forward.

"I told you, it's not important," Zane inched backwards.

"Yes, it is important. In case the Zane that popped into our dimension gets some ideas," Kai grumbled.

"No, Kai, you don't understand, it's-"

"Tell me!" Kai shook Zane by the shoulders.

"Fine! But please refrain from any comments until I finish," Zane gulped. This was going to be hard.

"Sure," Kai sat down, and pat the ground in front of him. Zane followed his lead, but looked at the ground as he talked.

"I don't know what the other Zane has told you, but in this dimension, Lloyd's dead. The other Zane took over Ninjago with an army of robots, and exiled the other ninja. So I am currently in the place of an all powerful overlord. So when I was faced with either having my cover blown or killing one of you..." Zane paused, and glanced up at Kai's waiting face.

"I... I froze your blood, ok? I killed you, I watched you die slowly as Nya and Jay and everyone could nothing but cry and... I've tortured and killed so many other people I don't even know how many! I'm not a ninja. Apparently I never was one." Zane vented, and buried his head in his hands.

"You... monster," Kai whispered. Was this the same Zane they had lost a few weeks ago? "Don't bother coming home. I think the other Zane will do us more good then you ever will," Kai growled, and just wished he could leave this place.

"Kai, wait!" Zane yelled. But he was too late. A burst of white light later, and the Fire Ninja was gone.

Kai woke up in his bed, with Nya standing over him.

"Are you ok? You look like you were having one heck of a nightmare," She asked.

Kai shook his head, and stormed out onto the deck.

Nya followed, putting together puzzle pieces in her head.

"Sensei told us you were using a Dream Visitor to talk to Zane. It didn't go well, did it?" Nya put a hand over her brother's which was gripping a railing so hard she feared his might break it.

"Zane's a murderer. I never want to see him again," Kai growled, and felt tears welling up in his eyes.

"Oh," Nya hugged him, not knowing what else to say.

"Kai?" Sensei approached him. "Are you alright?"

"Maybe in this world I am. Where Zane is? I'm dead. He killed me, he said he froze my blood. Along with a lot of other people's," Kai turned to his mentor, who had a rare shocked expression on his face.

"He can stay there and rot for all I care," Kai huffed. And he meant every word.


	7. Chapter 7

"So, how'd it go last night?" Other Zane sipped a cup of black coffee, sitting in a chair on the deck. It was about seven in the morning, and after a night of no sleep, Kai was not up to chat.

"Shut it," He growled, and the nindroid chuckled.

"Oh please. Don't tell me you are that incompetent," Other Zane had changed into some of their Zane's pajamas, which Kai didn't like. Now he looked exactly like the Ninja of Ice he knew, except he had the Mega Weapon strapped to his back with a katana holder.

"Fine. It didn't go too well," Kai mumbled. He took the silence as an order to continue. "First of all, I have a question to ask you. Why didn't you kill the rest of the other crew? Why only backstab Lloyd?"

"You see, if you give the people false hope, like in my case it was keeping part of the team alive, then people will be a little more willing to stay in their circumstances. For example, the concept of an afterlife is a promise that even if your current situation is horrendous, there is hope for a better life, so you're willing to be a bit more tolerable with your conditions. It works similarly," Other Zane explained, getting up from his chair and joining the Fire Ninja, who was standing at the railing of the Bounty.

"I see you think differently from him," Kai grumbled. "He killed me."

"What?"

Kai got a bit of satisfaction watching Other Zane gape at his comment.

"He froze my blood, apparently. I-"

Kai was interrupted by a laugh. Now it was the Fire Ninja's turn to be shocked.

"How is that funny?" He asked, resisting the urge to smack the imposter ninja upside the head.

"You say he's different from me. That there's no way he could ever be like me. But we share tactics. Executions. I'll have you know, that's how I kill people too," Other Zane smirked, taking a sip of his drink.

"Well, that's reassuring," Kai sighed.

"I'm surprised he went after you, however. Poor choice," He shrugged, and Kai felt heat sear through his fingers.

"And what do you mean by that?" The Fire Ninja glared at the Nindroid, who gazed back, amused.

"That you're not the strongest link. That would Lloyd. Or Cole. But certainly not you," Other Zane stretched, knowing he was getting under Kai's skin.

"And why is that? Am I not smart enough for you? Or strong? Does everyone have to be a robot for you to even tolerate them?" Kai hissed, and the fake Ice Ninja thought for a moment.

"Judging by my list of companions, then yes, it appears so. All of my relationships are with my machines. And to answer your first question, you can be intelligent, but you choose to let your first thought be your only thought. But does that make you stupid? Let's just say there's a reason you weren't chosen as the Green Ninja," Other Zane could feel the anger radiating off the Fire Ninja with every word he said.

"Just shut up!" Kai snapped.

"Why should I?" Other Zane drummed his fingers against the railing. "You know what your friend did to you. I'm not scared of a confrontation. I have no reason to be."

Kai was sick of the insults being thrown at him. He lunged at the imposter, going to rip out his power source if he could.

Other Zane, caught off guard, quickly threw the Fire ninja off him, drawing the Mega Weapon.

Kai jumped to his feet, anger and heat mixing together to form bursting flames at his fingers.

The fake Ice Ninja chuckled, and pointed the Mega Weapon at the Fire Ninja.

"Do your worst. I know that drains a lot of power," Kai sneered, feeling confident.

"Maybe it did for Garmadon. It would also only create for him. It works differently for me," Other Zane smirked, and shot a blast of energy at the Fire Ninja. Kai immediately doubled over, pain erupting from his chest. It felt like someone was tearing his ribs apart and slashing away at his insides.

He could barely hear the cries of Nya and a few others before he passed out, the world fading to nothing.

* * *

"I can't go home. I can't," Zane mumbled, pulling his legs up to his chest. Having just woken up from that horrific dream, the heartbreak was hitting him more than ever.

"Sir?" Zane heard a knock at the door. He threw the sheets off of himself in a rush, and leapt out of bed.

"Yes?" He called, and the general stepped in.

"You remember what today is, don't you?" He asked, and Zane shook his head.

"No, I do not. Anything I should be aware of?" The Ice Ninja folded his arms.

"You've had this day scheduled for months, sir. Today's the day you receive your upgrade," He gestured for Zane to follow him, which he did hesitantly.

"Oh yes, Now I remember." Zane lied, a sinking feeling growing in his stomach. Upgrade? What could that even mean?

"I can't wait to see what it is you've asked for. You haven't told anyone except for Wrench," He said in wonder, and Zane made a mental note.

 _Wrench, my personal doctor, as I recall._

He was led through many corridors, every guard he passed gave him a hopeful look. Everyone knew what was coming except for him. Finally, he arrived at the heavy metal door with a serial number engraved.

The door swung open to reveal one of his robots, except this one had a white inventor's coat on, which was splattered with oil stains.

"Come in, my lord. And lay down right over there," Wrench gestured to a metal table, with tools strewn about on tables that surrounded it.

"Of course," Zane mumbled, dazed, and did as instructed.

"If you don't mind, I am going to shut you down for the duration of the operation,"

"Of course," Zane, still dazed, shut his eyes and hoped as he felt his chest latch open and everything go dark.

* * *

He woke up, bright operation lights still shining in his face.

"Sorry," Wrench grumbled, and hurriedly switched them off.

He couldn't feel anything different, at least from his position. He sat up, and felt two weights tugging him down.

"They will feel a little awkward at first. My apologies," The robot held up a mirror, and Zane let out a sharp gasp.

Attached to his back were two white, large dragon wings.

With his reaction, they flared out, knocking over a table. Zane was too in shock to care.

"I'll fix that later," Wrench grumbled. "They correspond to your emotions, so becoming surprised or anything of the like will cause that reaction," He explained.

Zane shakily stood, having to lean forward the slightest to balance out the weight. He felt numb. All of this was too overwhelming. He noted the high ceilings, and flapped his wings as hard as he could. He shot straight into the air before landing back on his feet.

Wrench smiled, pleased with his handiwork.

Zane realized he hadn't said anything since he woke up.

"Thank you, Wrench," The Ice Ninja said blankly. The robot bashfully opened the door for his lord to exit, which he did, fleeing back to his room. It was night, and Zane felt tired, even though he had done nothing all day.

Once inside, Zane felt tears pricking the edges of his eyes, and he found his new appendages curling around him like a ball. He let them smother him as he collapsed on his bed. Now he was more different than he was this morning from his brothers, if they even liked him anymore. How could they? He didn't even like himself anymore. Zane let these thoughts consume him as he drifted off into a cold, dreamless sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

_"Is he going to be ok?"_

 _"I think, but it's hard to tell."_

 _"I knew we shouldn't have-"_

 _"We can't do anything about it now. We can just help Kai heal, and hopefully he'll wake up soon."_

 _"Yeah."_

Kai's head swam. He was just barely conscious, his brain and chest pounding with pain with every small thought or breath he could muster. Voices floated, but the speakers fused together until he couldn't discern them. His eyelids were like lead, and it was all he could do not to slip back under. He felt a faint weight on his thigh, but couldn't place the source of the pressure.

He gathered enough strength to crack open his eyes. Kai, Jay, and Cole all conversed at the foot of the bed, while Lloyd sadly gazed over the Fire Ninja's wounds. The Green Ninja had a hand rested on Kai's leg, emerald eyes focusing on the place where his gi had been torn apart by the weapon. He glanced up, and he jumped in surprise when he noticed Kai peeking at him.

He withdrew his hand sharply, and Kai almost smirked as Lloyd called the others over, slightly flustered.

"Guys, Kai's awake," He beckoned them over, and Kai's head pounded from the sudden noise.

"Kai," Nya sighed of relief, and sat down by his head, making sure Lloyd was right. The Fire Ninja opened his eyes fully, his sister giving him a bit more strength.

"You scared me, you idiot," She grumbled, and Kai rolled his eyes.

"We wrapped your chest up. You've been out for a few hours now," Cole explained, sitting beside Nya. Kai nodded slightly, but then a panicked thought arose in his head.

Seeing the worried look, Jay sighed.

"Look, we don't know where the other Zane went. He ran off after he tried to kill you, and we were too focused on you track where he went," The Lightning Ninja grimaced.

Kai felt his stomach drop at the thought of a powerful murderer running around Ninjago. He tried to sit up, but had to fall against Nya when the sharp pain in his chest surprised him.

"Easy, hothead," She chuckled, and let him lean on her as she stood, not surprised by his eagerness to get moving. "If we're ever going to fight Zane, we need you to be in working order."

"I'm fine," Kai mumbled, his first speech so far.

"Clearly not," It was Nya's turn to roll her eyes. The stubbornness of her brother never failed to amuse and annoy her at the same time.

* * *

A few weeks later, Zane was finally getting used to them. Sure, sleeping was a pain and they liked to absentmindedly knock things over, but they proved to be useful for getting around the castle. Instead of having to climb flights of stairs, gliding around the outside was a lot more fun and a lot more efficient.

On top of all that, he finally found a chance to slip out and look for the portal. But he wasn't sure why he wanted to go home. Kai didn't want him back, and surely the others don't as well.

He sighed as he flew through the crisp morning air, the breeze tousling his usually neat hair.

He was almost there. He could just feel it in his bones, as the saying went, and the pricks of guilt grew into pangs as the makeshift base faded into his sight.

He raced inside, ignoring any and all mementos that were strewn about the place. He reached a rickety closet after a bit of searching, and could've cried of joy when he found what he was looking for.

An engraved mirror, nearly identical to the one back home, stood propped up against a back wall. Zane went to step in, but hesitated. The prospect of facing Kai terrified him, but the possibility of being accepted back was almost enough to override anything.

He took a deep breath, and stepped though the portal, and the same white flash blinded his vision.

* * *

Meanwhile, the team was getting the signal they were dreading.

"Is that who I think it is?" Jay groaned, seeing the Falcon giving off a distress signal from Ignacia. Through his vision, they could see ice spikes protruding through trhe buildings, and to Jay's disgust, he could see flecks of red dotting some.

"Probably," Cole turned to Kai and Nya, who both wore an enraged expression at the sight of their hometown being torn up.

"We're going. Now," Nya growled, running off with her brother, who was equally as fuming.

The trip there was silent and tense. The siblings off in their own worlds as they sped towards Ignacia, the others afraid to speak up for fear of getting shouted at or maddening the two more.

When they arrived, they found the town oddly barren. Everyone had either fled or had been killed. That was probably for the best considering the throw down that was about to happen.

"Where is he?" Lloyd grumbled, scanning the landscape. There was no sign of an evil murdering robot anywhere.

The team crept around, each place they checked more eerie than the next. Cole felt sick, after looking at a few people with their blood frozen lying on the ground. Kai saw them too, but couldn't stop thinking of the conversation with the real Zane a few weeks ago.

A flash of light suddenly blinded the team. They stumbled backwards, and a few seconds later, a ball of energy barely missed striking Lloyd in the chest. The Green Ninja spun out of the way, and wildly glanced around for the attacker. The Other Zane frowned, seemingly annoyed with himself. he was perched on a roof nearby, surrounded by spears of sparkling ice.

"Almost," He shrugged, and aimed again, the team scrambling for cover. But the blast never came. Instead, Cole looked up to see a black blur striking the other Zane off the roof.

"Hey, what-" The Imposter whipped around and saw the figure glaring at him. "Uh oh."

Standing on the roof, wings fully flared, was Zane. And boy, did he look pissed.


	9. Chapter 9

"So you're the Zane I've heard about? You've decided to return home to your Ninjago, I see. I cannot say I would've done the same," The Imposter Zane growled, and raised his weapon to shoot the Ice Ninja with a fatal blow. "It was nice seeing you while it lasted."

Zane yelped as he shot upward, narrowly avoiding the bright blast that burnt the rooftop below him. He slunk into the clouds for a few seconds to gather his thoughts.

The other Zane had a magic blaster, while he had nothing but his two bare hands. If only he was wearing his gi with his weapons attached instead of these black robes! He dove down closer to the ground, wings fully flared and ready to strike.

But suddenly, he stopped. How much could he really do? He could dodge, but that was about it. He had no fancy blasters. He didn't even have a katana. What he needed was a plan.

* * *

"Was that... Zane?" Cole gawked.

"I think so... but he looked scarier. And he had wings," Jay replied, and the Other Zane rolled his eyes.

"I had an upgrade scheduled for a few weeks ago. Looks like he scored the prize before I got back," He scoffed, shaking his head.

"So... Zane can fly?" Kai gulped, peering up into the sky. There was no sign of the Nindroid anywhere.

"Before you shoot, stop," A voice rang out, and the ninja looked up to see Zane hovering meters above the Imposter, a pointed glare focusing on him. "Let me talk."

"Just remember, I will scrap you if you try to kill me," The Other Zane glared back, and Zane's expression didn't waver.

"Understood, and I feel the same. You know, you and me are not so different," Zane contended, and the Other Zane couldn't help but be surprised.

"From what I've heard _,_ you seem like quite the goody-two-shoes. I'm surprised," He chuckled.

"Well, people do change. Even robots," Zane shrugged, landing on the roof, looking down at his counterpart.

"Very true," Other Zane nodded. "And I suppose there's a reason behind revealing this?"

Zane glided down to the other Zane's level, and held out his hand.

"I assume you know what I'm thinking. Do we have a deal?" Zane smiled, a sinister glint in his eyes.

"Yes, we do," Other Zane smirked, but then frowned. "Wait, how do I know you're not lying to me?"

Zane thought for a second.

"I guess there really is no way to tell without going to extreme measures," The Ice Ninja could only imagine the looks on the ninja's faces behind him. They probably weren't welcoming.

"I suppose so. You want to prove yourself?" Other Zane questioned, and the way he looked over the crew made Kai's blood run cold just thinking about what awful thing Zane would agree to do.

"Me prove myself? This is my side of the portal. We are on my turf. I make the rules," Zane firmly nodded, and Other Zane sighed, exasperated.

"No, I wanted to rule here first. Here, I have something that doesn't involve murder. All you have to do is confess to your old team. How many people did you kill while in my dimension?"

Zane's expression turned thoughtful, although he wanted to curl up and die on the inside.

"Let's see..." Zane tried to conjure up a lie, but his mind only flashed one number. The real amount. He cursed his programming, and turned to the Other Zane, who was eagerly awaiting the number almost as the team didn't want to hear it.

"Seventy-three," Zane said with as much pride as he could muster. The crew gasped, and Other Zane laughed.

"Seventy-three? You were only there for, what, a few months? Seven at the most. And you killed almost seventy-five people! That's more than I kill in like, a year!" He cackled, and Zane felt his stomach drop. All that... was for nothing? "You know, you didn't have to kill everyone they brought in! Torture's ok, too," Other Zane pat the Ice Ninja on the back.

"But torture's not as fun," Zane complained. He felt like tearing out his power source. What was he saying?! Why was this coming out so naturally for him?

"Agreed," Other Zane chuckled.

* * *

Kai couldn't believe what he was hearing. what he had heard for the past few minutes. He had had hope for a second, when Zane had first appeared. That he would send the imposter back to whatever hell he came from, and they would be fine. He was even willing to give Zane a chance. But seventy-three people dead?

The others were just as shocked as he was when Zane had stated that he wanted to rule together with the imposter. He couldn't find any reason to justify killing that many people with your bare hands. Maybe he had wanted Zane tied up and locked away in prison before, but now Kai wanted him _dead_.

"You traitor!" Kai yelled, interrupting their conversation. Other Zane glared at him and reached for his Mega Weapon, and Zane looked startled. "We heard about what this guy did, and you know what we said? There's no way our Zane could possibly be like that. Our Zane's too good for that. But that filthy jerk was right! You _are_ no better than all of the snakes and the robbers that we've fought!"

"Shut up," Other Zane growled, pointing the Mega Weapon at Kai once more. "It's unusual that this doesn't kill. I assure you that you won't be so lucky this time around."

"Kai, listen to the scary Zane with the blaster," Jay hissed, and Cole elbowed him.

"Then you know what? Shoot me. Fine. I'll die knowing that I've been lied to. That I defended the type of person that I've fought to keep in jail. You," He pointed at Zane, who looked shocked. "Are one hell of a bad guy."

Nobody spoke. Nobody fired a blaster, or swung a sword. Silence.

"I suppose I am," Zane finally said, his eyes on the floor. "Whether it was by choice, or by some cruel trick, I am the villain. What a twist," A sad smile played upon his lips. "Here I was, thinking that I could return home and pretend that nothing happened. I was stupid, wasn't I?"

He looked between Other Zane and Kai.

"You thought there would be no consequences?" Other Zane chuckled. "I'm surprised you thought that way. Are we still on with the deal?"

"Here's your answer," Zane growled, and lunged forward. Other Zane lost his balance as Zane tackled him to ground, the Mega Weapon flying out of his hand.

"If I'm going to die anyway, I might as well take you down with me," Zane closed his eyes, and his power source began to glow.

"What are you-!" The Other Zane's cries were interrupted as both him and his counterpart were engulfed in a white explosion.

Two battered bodies lay on the ground, once the smoke cleared. Two nearly identical people. One dressed in white. One dressed in black. Both dead.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys! It's been a while, hasn't it? Welcome to the final chapter of this story. I hope this wraps it up nicely, because I'm not planning on a sequel. I have a new story to torture Zane with once I clear up enough room on my list of writing. Don't forget to R &R, and enjoy!**

* * *

What just happened? All that Kai could register was some mumbling by Zane and other Zane, and suddenly, they were both on the ground. The confusing part happened next. A large boom and a cloud of smoke pointed towards an explosion, but neither of them had any bombs.

"Everyone... ok..?" He coughed through the think cloud of dust. He heard faint murmurs of confirmation, which were muffled because his ears were still ringing.

A gasp from Jay drew Kai's attention to the two Zanes, and his mouth fell agape at the sight.

Their Zane was horrible. Gashes all over his body were pouring smoke, and his wings were spread out. His right arm was hanging on by some wires, but not much else, and his power source was... shattered. Glass shards littered the ground around him, and the blue hue had been sucked out of his eyes, leaving a dull gray in its place.

The other Zane wasn't too much better, except there was no smoke surrounding him.

They were truly... dead.

Jay immediately ran to their former friend's side, picking over the damage. There's no way he could repair this, not with this much gone. Just as he was about to shut the hatch he was looking in, a chip caught his eye. He plucked it out of the drive, and looked it over. The label was scratched off, but that was really the only damage done. If this is what he thought it was...

"Please be what I think you are..." Jay clutched it tightly.

"Jay? What is it?" Cole asked sadly, his voice think with smoke.

"I think I may have found his memory chip," Jay smiled, and turned back to the team. He had some work to do.

* * *

 **6 Months Later**

"This should do it," Jay placed the last gear in place, nodded to Nya, who was equally as exhausted as he was.

"Jay, what if it doesn't work?" She asked nervously. Jay thought for a second, then shook his head.

"Then we live with the regret forever. Ready to flip the metaphorical coin?" Jay placed a hand on the power switch, and motioned to Nya to do the same. She took a deep breath, and pulled, Jay following suit.

Whirs and clicks filled the room as they looked nervously towards their creation. Slowly but surely, he sat up, and glanced around the room.

"Jay? Nya?" His eyes widened. "How did you-"

"Zane!" Jay cried, and flung himself onto his friend, crushing him in a hug. "You've been dead for six months now, Nya and I tried our best to build you a new body off of your father's blueprints."

Nya embraced her friend as well, but Zane stiffened.

"What's wrong?" Jay asked in concern.

"You don't hate me?" Zane ran his new hands down his thighs nervously, and Jay grimaced.

"Well, we all have mixed feelings. I wouldn't have built this body if I wanted you gone, right?" Jay nervously chuckled, and Zane's gaze dropped.

"It's Kai, isn't it?" The Nindroid asked, and Nya nodded. "How do the others feel?"

"Lloyd's indifferent, and Cole still has hope that you're a good person on the inside," Jay took Zane's hand in his own, and led him out of the room.

"Wait, Zane. Something we forgot to tell you," Nya paused, and braced herself for his reaction. "You don't have any ice powers. Your power source held it all. When you blew it up, it took your elemental abilities with it."

"Oh," The Former Ice Ninja felt a knot growing in his stomach, although he knew it was just his nerves. Now he had to face Kai with the knowledge that he couldn't even be a part of the team anymore? Not that they would want him back on anyway.

Jay knocked on the game room door, and the Fire Ninja swung it open, his lips twisted into a victorious smirk.

"Cole? Lloyd? You guys too. I have a surprise for you guys," Jay gulped as the door became crowed with two more defeated ninja. "You know how I said Nya and I were working on a gift for my folks? Well, we lied. You remember. I found Zane's memory chip after he faced off with Other Zane. We rebuilt him."

He stepped aside, and Zane was frozen like a deer in headlights. Nobody said anything for what seemed like a few hours. Suddenly, Kai's expression changed from confident to fury as he stormed into the hallway, grabbed Zane's arm, and pulled him into his room.

"Kai, I-" Zane began, scared of the rage plastered across The Fire Ninja's face.

"No. I'm not going to listen to you blabber on about how sorry you are. I'm not going to listen to you try to justify yourself. You're a horrible person and just looking at you makes me mad, but I can't say I don't feel a bit sorry for you," Kai sighed, sitting on his bed.

"Listen, Zane. I'd like to think that everything could return to the way it was with sunshine and rainbows and all that, but I can still recall that entire scenario with your copy very clearly, and that means everyone else can too. We just don't trust you anymore. Just because Jay and Nya rebuilt you doesn't mean that we forgive you."

"I don't blame you. I don't blame any of you for hating me. I tortured and killed people, all the while trying to convince myself that it didn't matter. That since it wasn't my home, none of the things I did mattered. It wasn't until I had to admit what I had done to you all that I realized that my actions were very much real. And if it's what you wish, I will march right up to Kryptarium Prison and rot away for the rest of my life," Zane could feel tears welling up in the back of his eyes, and fought to keep them out. He must have been doing a bad job, because Kai's expression softened the tiniest bit.

"No! You're not going to that place. You're going to stay here and suffer while we figure out what to do with you. Personally, I think you got what you deserved when you blew up with Other Zane back then. So, because I can see that you're obviously on the verge of tears and the others will probably bust in here any moment because they think I'm holding a knife to your neck, let's go outside. I'm sure they'll try to reason with me, so just know that even though I might be a bit nicer, I will still never forgive you for what you did. Got it?"

Zane nodded weakly. Kai opened the door, and walked out, Zane trailing behind him.

"We heard a lot of muffled mixed emotions. The good news is, Zane's still alive. The bad news? He's a serial murderer who's going to have to be convicted for something. But, however stupid it may sound, I don't want to throw him into Kryptarium. It just feels wrong," Jay frowned, and everyone nodded.

"Zane, we're gonna have to ask you to leave so we can talk," Cole turned to the White Ninja, who slid into the game room. Once he was curled up in a beanbag, he fell asleep, nightmares of the other world haunting him in his rest.

* * *

"Zane?" Lloyd knocked. He had been sent to retrieve the Nindroid so he could receive the verdict. He knocked harder after receiving no answer. Still nothing. He sighed and opened the door anyway, only to find him sleeping.

"Zane, wake up," Lloyd shook him, and he bolted awake, eyes wide in fear of something. "You ok?"

Zane nodded hesitantly, rubbing his hand over the place where he had so realistically felt a knife plunging into his skin moments before.

"Alright, get ready Zane," Lloyd led him down the halls, unnerved by Zane's unusual quietness.

He reached the door, and let Zane in first, shutting the door behind him. Lloyd took a seat next to Kai, who was wearing a grim expression.

 _It'll be ok._ Lloyd told himself. _There's nothing to be afraid of._

He hoped he didn't look as nervous as he felt.

Zane stood, staring at the wooden boards beneath him. His fingers twitched as he wound them around themselves, trying to avoid thinking about the five piercing gazes glaring into him.

"Zane, we're not going to sentence you to death or anything, lighten up," Jay said, a smile playing on his lips, and Zane looked up curiously.

"But Kai-"

"Nevermind Kai. The point is, he's the only one here that wanted a really harsh punishment. Unluckily for you, we had to give him some of that to satiate his thirst for blood, and... Zane, I'm kidding! Jeez," Jay stopped himself when Zane's complexion drained and his eyes widened.

"Look, we miss you. The old you. Which is why, expect for my brother, none of us could bring ourselves to really hurt you. But Jay's not kidding about the verdict being harsher than we would've liked. We also had to factor in that you have no more elemental powers, which means you couldn't really be part of the boy's club anyway," Nya backed up Jay, who had slunk back in his chair after Zane had relaxed.

"I'm just going to cut to the chase because I can't stand seeing you like this. You're done," Cole crossed his arms, proud of himself for getting it over with. But pride turned to confusion when everyone glared at him.

"You had to put it like that? Really?" Nya grumbled, and Jay mumbled under his breath, putting his head in his hands.

"Oh," Cole realized what he had said. "I didn't mean it like that! You're not going to die," He reassured the White Ninja, who was staring in terrified shock at the Ninja Leader. "You're just off the team. You're sentenced to house arrest. Kai wanted to ship you back to Birchwood Forest, but we wouldn't let him. So you're stuck here, I'm afraid," Cole gulped.

The team could only stare when Zane started to laugh.

"There's nothing funny about this! We just told you that you're stuck inside for the rest of your life! Why are you _laughing_?" Kai asked, exasperated.

"Because I forgot how good it felt not to have people tripping over their feet to serve you every time you speak! Of course I'm heartbroken that I'll never see the outside world again, and that I'm basically imprisoned, but even though Kai might want me thrown into a pit of lava, I'm still alive, aren't I? I may never be trusted again, but at least I'm kind of happy again," Zane, although he felt a pit of sadness dwelling inside him, was smiling like an idiot.

Jay broke the stunned silence by rushing over and wrapping Zane in another bear hug. "You also have to cook for us. Did I mention that?" He chuckled, and let Zane go.

"It's almost five. I guess I better get started then," Zane grinned, and rushed off, Jay in hot pursuit.

"What do you think Sensei's going to say when he gets back?" Nya asked, and the others shrugged.

"Honestly? I don't care. I'm going to go and chat with Frosty while he cooks. Care to join?" Lloyd extended a hand to Kai, who shook his head.

"Kai, you're going to need to accept it eventually. Just because you didn't have a bullet driven through his head doesn't mean it doesn't him. He can never leave the Destiny's Bounty. He's stuck practically being our maid forever. You're going to have to realize that you can't stay mad at him until the sun explodes," The Green Ninja frowned, and left, Cole trailing behind.

The two siblings were now left, and Nya sighed.

"I wanted him to come home as much as you did. That's why I helped Jay rebuild him. I missed him. I was hoping you would at least give him a chance. You know I heard some of what you said to him when you two were alone? I know you hate him. But, please, give him a chance?" Nya squeezed his hand as she left as well. Kai stood in the center of the room, running a hand through his hair.

"Well, Frosty? Looks like you won them over. Good for you. But sadly, I'm not so easily swayed." Kai said aloud, feeling fiery anger build up in his fingers. Suddenly, it dissipated.

"Oh, who am I kidding? They're right. I missed seeing you around. But that doesn't mean you're on my good side yet," Kai chuckled to himself as he left to join the others. Murderer or no murderer, he couldn't stay mad at Frosty forever. Especially after seeing how Zane had talked about what he had done when he had pulled him into his room.

Laughter could be heard from the kitchen as he approached. He sheepishly ducked in, and Lloyd smiled knowingly next to him. He looked upward at Zane, who's eyes seemed to shine as he talked and laughed with his former team. Zane turned away for a second to pull something out of the over. After testing the temperature, he went to coat the food with a thin layer of ice to cool it, but nothing happened.

He saw the quick pang of hurt and sadness on his face before he turned back to the others to comment on a joke Jay made. No one else seemed to notice.

 _That's gotta be hard._ Kai grimaced. There was a lot of work to do if he ever wanted to feel remotely close to the Nindroid once more, but he was sure that they would manage somehow.

 _Ninja or no ninja, we're not done with you just yet._ Kai smiled as the team laughed. They were finally whole again.


End file.
